---
title: Military Members and Students: Smog Check and Registration
url: https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/military-and-students/
business: Xpress Smog Check Center (Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center)
locations: Reno Northwest: 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523, (775) 787-1000, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Reno South: 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 828-6996, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed
type: Nevada smog check (vehicle emissions inspection), drive in, no appointment
---

Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center

- Smog check at two Reno locations
- Oil change in the same visit
- No appointment needed

[Xpress Oil & Lube](https://xpressoilandlube.com/)

- [Home](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/)
- [Questions and answers](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/)
- Military members and students

# Military members and students

The DMV does not require active-duty military members or out-of-state students to register a vehicle in Nevada. When a vehicle is registered in Washoe, the usual smog check rules apply, and the EC-008 form covers a vehicle used and maintained elsewhere.

4.7 stars from 550 Google reviews of the two Reno Xpress Oil & Lube Centers

Service members and students often keep a home-state registration. The DMV's residency sheet lists who is exempt from registering, and this page repeats that list and ties it to the smog check. For anything about residency itself, ask the DMV.

### Must active-duty military register in Nevada?

No. The DMV exemption list includes people on active duty in the military service of the United States.

### What about students?

An out-of-state student is exempt. So is a registered student at a college or university outside Nevada who is here for no more than 6 months in a work-study program that earns academic credits.

### Who else is on the exemption list?

Migrant or seasonal farm workers, and border state employees who commute into Nevada for work within 35 miles of the border.

### What is the rule for a student whose school is in Nevada?

The DMV's list is about out-of-state students. For your own situation, ask the DMV how your residency is classed.

### Do I have to register if I enroll my children in a Nevada public school?

Yes. The DMV lists that as a case where a non-resident must register.

### What about a vehicle used more than 30 days a year?

The DMV says a non-resident must register if the vehicle is operated in Nevada for more than 30 days in a calendar year, or if the owner works here.

### If I do register in Washoe, do I need a test?

Yes, when the vehicle is based in the Washoe testing area and meets the model year and fuel rules. Reno and Sparks are inside that area.

### What if my vehicle spends most of the year outside Nevada?

See the [leaving Nevada page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/leaving-nevada/) for the EC-008 exemption application.

### Is out-of-state insurance accepted for Nevada registration?

No. For Nevada registration the DMV requires Nevada evidence of insurance.

### Who answers registration questions beyond this?

The DMV. For emissions, call the Reno emission lab at (775) 684-3580. The [out-of-state vehicle page](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/out-of-state-vehicle/) has more.

### Is the Reno emission lab open to questions from service members?

The DMV lists the Reno lab at 9155 Double Diamond Pkwy, (775) 684-3580, for emissions calls.

### Can a student renew a Nevada registration at a smog station?

If the vehicle is registered in Nevada and a test is required, the usual steps apply. Ask about renewing in the same visit.

## Keep the DMV in the loop

Rules for military and student status are the DMV's to interpret. This page only repeats the written list.

Bring your questions to the DMV, and bring your vehicle to us when a test is due. Drive into Reno Northwest or Reno South with no appointment.

## Two different questions

Whether you must register at all is one question, answered by the DMV's residency list. Whether a registered vehicle needs a test is a second question, answered by where it is based, its model year and its fuel.

If you do hold a Washoe registration, treat the smog check as part of your yearly renewal. Drive in to either Reno location with no appointment.

### Sources

- [dmv.nv.gov/pdfforms/Do-I-have-to-register-my-vehicle-in-Nevada.pdf](https://dmv.nv.gov/pdfforms/Do-I-have-to-register-my-vehicle-in-Nevada.pdf) (DMV residency and exemptions; read 10/19/26)
- [dmv.nv.gov/pdfforms/ec008.pdf](https://dmv.nv.gov/pdfforms/ec008.pdf) (DMV EC-008 Emission Control Exemption Application; read 10/19/26)

## More questions by topic

[Who needs a smog check in Nevada](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/who-needs-a-smog-check/)[Where in Washoe County a test is required](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/smog-check-areas-washoe/)[The renewal notice and the smog line on it](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/renewal-notice/)[Your result and the DMV link](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/certificate-and-dmv-link/)[How long a passing test is good for](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/90-day-rule/)[Renewing your registration with the smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/renewing-at-the-station/)[What a smog check costs](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/price-and-fees/)[Driving in without an appointment](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/drive-in-no-appointment/)[Hours and the quiet times to come in](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/hours-and-busy-times/)[Which service center to use](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/which-service-center/)[An oil change in the same visit](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/oil-change-same-visit/)[Check engine light questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/check-engine-light-questions/)[After a failed test](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/failed-test-questions/)[Smog waiver questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/waiver-questions/)[Not ready and rejected results](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/not-ready-questions/)[After a battery change or a repair](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/battery-and-recent-repairs/)[Gas caps and small fixes before a test](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/gas-cap-and-quick-fixes/)[Insurance trackers and OBD port devices](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/obd-port-devices/)[New vehicles and the first three registrations](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/new-vehicles/)[Hybrid and electric vehicle questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/hybrids-and-evs/)[Diesel truck questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/diesel-trucks/)[Motorhomes and heavier gas trucks](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/motorhomes-and-heavy-trucks/)[Classic car and Old Timer plate questions](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/classic-cars/)[Motorcycles and other exempt vehicles](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/motorcycles-and-exempt/)[Moving to Reno or Sparks](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/moving-to-reno/)[Leaving Nevada or living away part of the year](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/leaving-nevada/)[Military members and students](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/military-and-students/)[Private party sales](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/private-party-sales/)[Buying from a Nevada dealer](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/dealer-sales/)[Smoking vehicles and visible exhaust](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/smoking-vehicles/)[Engine swaps and modified vehicles](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/engine-swaps-and-modifications/)[Registered outside the Washoe testing area](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/registered-outside-the-testing-area/)

### Your location: Reno South

- Call [(775) 828-6996](tel:+17758286996) Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed
- Address 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502

[Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=4993+Longley+Ln%2C+Reno%2C+NV+89502&destination_place_id=ChIJc5xNCcI_mYARXjHn3y79iJw)

### Related

- [Leaving Nevada or living away part of the year](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/leaving-nevada/)
- [New to Nevada: your first smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/new-to-nevada/)
- [Moving to Reno or Sparks](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/faq/moving-to-reno/)
- [Vehicle out of state at renewal time](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/smog-check/out-of-state-vehicle/)
- [New Nevada resident: registration and the smog check](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/guides/new-resident-registration/)

Located inside Xpress Oil & Lube Center

Both smog check locations sit inside an Xpress Oil & Lube Center, the locally owned Reno drive-in that has served this town since 1983. Drive in, no appointment; get your oil changed in the same visit.

[About us](https://xpresssmogcenter.com/about/)
